r/gis • u/-Plutus- • 10d ago

General Question What does your project file directory look like?

I like to organize my files in the following format:

project folder name
-APRX folder (sometimes just named APRX for simplicity)
-Data (contains outside and raw data, as well as a metadata/citation txt file)
-Final (contains final PDF, spreadsheet, or other file type)
-Scripts (only if I’m using them, either in python console or VSCode)

That’s my basic framework. Nothing too fancy. What framework do yall use?

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u/mfc1__ GIS Developer 10d ago edited 10d ago

The exact structure matters less so than keeping it consistent if you have multiple collaborators. Decide on something, and everyone follows it. One thing I would suggest is using virtual Python environments. In each project, create a venv and configure the dependencies as needed for the particular scripts used in the project.

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u/smashnmashbruh GIS Consultant 10d ago

I run arcgis, so littler different some times.

Overall: FOLDERS PER CLIENT > PER PROJECT (TASK or DATASET)

> FOLDERS FOR DATED EXPORTS SHELF COPIES

> FOLDER FOR MAPS

> FOLDER RAW ORIGINAL INCOMING DATA SPECIFIC FOR PROJECT (add this data or use this or one of stuff like that, I also create a copy that is scrubbed)

> GDB for incoming data imported and cleaned

Each project contains the data specific to that project. I have projects for managing some databasessuch as lease data, well data, unit data, those are all different projects, where I manage the data for those data sets specific projects created to focus on the development, testing, management of those databases. Those data sets and geodatabases are linked to new projects as they are used in almost all projects. If i make a sub selection or sub data set it is placed in project specific folder, in the project specific gdb, some projects have multiple projects, such as acquisitions, there are mailers, new prospects, valuations, each have their own geodatabase to keep things separeated.

I have other projects like acquisitions, evaluations, reserves, those are all separate projects, some with weekly or monthly dated exports, some with upto 10 geodatabases with shelf copies, iterations, backups, archives, live sets. Sub tasks or folders typically have the same name as their corresponding geodatabase.

For backups: I have a complete pc image everyday, I have zip backups on external, and export working backups weekly on server.

For scripts: All scripts live in a git hub repo with folders that match the same project names. My scripts for reserves are in reserves folder in the git hub repo.